Romantic relationships and adjustment problems in China: The moderating effect of classroom romantic context

Abstract

Theoretical and empirical research has shown that adolescent romantic relationships are associated with a wide range of developmental outcomes, including adverse consequences. The present study used a hierarchical linear model to examine the moderating effect of classroom romantic context on the association between adolescent romantic relationships and adjustment problems. Data were collected from 4776 Chinese adolescents across 106 classes and from 47 schools. The participants' ages ranged from 12 to 18 years. The results indicated that romantic involvement and breakups were associated with adolescents' depressive symptoms and delinquent behaviors. Moreover, the association between breakups and depressive symptoms depended on the classroom romantic context. Specifically, we found that adolescents who experienced breakups showed fewer depressive symptoms in classrooms where romantic relationships were common among classmates than in those classrooms where romantic relationships were rare among classmates. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.